Testing aircraft, exploring space : an illustrated history of NACA and NASA

Title
  1. Testing aircraft, exploring space : an illustrated history of NACA and NASA / Roger E. Bilstein.
Published by
  1. Baltimore : Johns Hopkins University Press, 2003.
Author
  1. Bilstein, Roger E.

Items in the library and off-site

Filter by

Displaying 1 item

StatusFormatAccessCall numberItem location
StatusFormatTextAccessUse in libraryCall numberTL521.312 .B58 2003Item locationOff-site

Details

Description
  1. xv, 218 pages : illustrations, map; 25 cm
Summary
  1. The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics -- forerunner of today's NASA -- emerged in 1915, when airplanes were curiosities made of wood and canvas and held together with yards of baling wire. At the time an unusual example of government intrusion (and foresight, given the importance of aviation to national military concerns), the committee oversaw the development of wind tunnels, metal fabrication, propeller design, and powerful new high-speed aircraft during the 1920s and '30s. In this richly illustrated account, acclaimed historian of aviation Roger E. Bilstein combines the story of NACA and NASA to provide a fresh look at the agencies, the problems they faced, and the hard work as well as inventive genius of the men and women who found the solutions. NACA research during World War II led to critical advances in U.S. fighter and bomber design and, Bilstein explains, contributed to engineering standards for helicopters. After 1945 the agency's test pilots experimented with jet-powered aircraft, testing both human and technical limits in trying to break the so-called "sound barrier." In October 1958, when the launch of the Soviet Sputnik signaled the beginning of the space race, NACA formed the nucleus of the new National Aeronautics and Space Agency. The new agency's efforts to meet President Kennedy's challenge -- safely landing a man on the Moon and returning him to Earth before the end of the 1960s -- is one of the great adventure stories of all time. Bilstein goes on to describe NASA's recent planetary and extraplanetary exploration, as well as its less well-known research into the future of aeronautical design.
Subject
  1. United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration > History
  2. United States. National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics > History
  3. United States. National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics
  4. United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
  5. USA National Aeronautics and Space Administration
  6. Umschulungswerkstätten für Siedler und Auswanderer Bitterfeld
  7. Airplanes > United States > Flight testing > History
  8. Astronautics > United States > History
  9. Avions > États-Unis > Essais en vol > Histoire
  10. Astronautique > États-Unis > Histoire
  11. Airplanes > Flight testing
  12. Astronautics
  13. Exploration of outer space
  14. Erprobung
  15. Flugzeug
  16. Geschichte
  17. Raumfahrt
  18. NASA PROGRAMS
  19. AERONAUTICS
  20. ASTRONAUTICS
  21. HISTORIES
  22. SPACE EXPLORATION
  23. Outer space > Exploration > History
  24. Espace extra-atmosphérique > Exploration > Histoire
  25. Outer space
  26. United States
  27. USA
Genre/Form
  1. History.
Contents
  1. Foundations for flight, 1915-1930 -- Aeronautics in peace and war, 1930-1945 -- Jets, sonic speed, and satellites, 1945-1958 -- On the fringes of space, 1958-1964 -- Dress rehearsals, 1964-1969 -- Aerospace dividends, 1969-1973 -- International ventures, 1973-1980 -- Aircraft and aerospace craft, 1980-1986 -- Post-Challenger years, 1986-1990s -- Toward century 21 -- Retrospect and prospect.
Owning institution
  1. Princeton University Library
Bibliography (note)
  1. Includes bibliographical references and index.